Toy sewing machines have enjoyed great popularity for many years due in part to their capability to generally mimic or imitate the appearance and operation of actual conventional adult sewing machines. Some toy sewing machines actually impart a stitch or sewn thread line to fabric material while others simulate the sewing actions and the motions and/or sounds generally produced by sewing machines. As is the case with conventional sewing machines, toy sewing machines are available with either hand cranked mechanisms or electric motor driven mechanisms. The desire for realistic entertaining and amusing toy sewing machines has, in many instances, been truncated or limited due to the ever present requirement of maximized safety and avoidance of potential injury to the child user.
In view of the continuing popularity of toy sewing machines, a number of interesting appearance designs have been created to attract consumers. Examples of such appearance designs are found in Design Pat. No. 269,021 issued to Appel et al, Design Pat. No. 180,613 issued to Neukirch, Design Pat. No. 211,480 issued to Rockwell, Design Pat. No. 224,944 issued to Martelete, Design Pat. No. 190,746 issued to Fritts, Design Pat. No. 224,809 issued to Genaro, Design Pat. No. 206,013 issued to Kuramochi, and Design Pat. No. 192,712 issued to Park.
The toy sewing machine mechanisms have enjoyed a similar variety to that enjoyed by the appearance designs of toy sewing machines. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,532 issued to Fogarty et al sets forth a TOY SEWING MACHINE adapted to loop a strand such as yarn through sheet material such as resinous foam fabric to simulate sewing or other needlework. The overall shape of the device simulates a sewing machine and includes a platform supporting the material and a head supporting a vertically movable needle and foot.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,323 issued to Schultheis sets forth a PRINTING TOY SEWING MACHINE having a body portion resembling a conventional sewing machine and a printing mechanism operative for applying a printed image to a piece of sheet material in a simulated sewing action.
U.S, Pat. No. 4,274,349 issued to Doyel sets forth a TOY ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINE in which a lightweight, inexpensive toy electric sewing machine is fabricated primarily of molded plastic components and includes a battery power source supported within the sewing machine base.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,435,789 issued to Kuramochi sets forth a TOY SEWING MACHINE having a box-shaped frame supporting a pair of movable members pivotally secured and biased outwardly by a bias spring. One of the member supports a sewing platform while the other supports a downwardly facing needle. The stitching action is accomplished by squeezing the spring biased members together repeatedly to puncture the interposed fabric and provide a stitch therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,705 issued to Clarke et al sets forth a SIMULATED SEWING MACHINE TOY having a sewing machine body supporting an electric motor and a horizontally disposed shaft having a crank at one end and a driving disk at the other end. As the horizontal shaft is rotated, a needle assembly is moved in a reciprocating manner. The sewing machine utilizes a flat plastic needle having a blunt tip.
U.S. Pat. DES. 270,849 issued to Balderston sets forth a COMBINED TOY SEWING MACHINE AND CASE THEREFOR in which a pair of hinged rectangular clam shell case portions are pivotable between an open and closed position. Within the lowered clam shell member a toy sewing machine is pivotally supported by a sewing machine base to be positioned either in a horizontal position permitting closure of the case or a raised, generally perpendicular vertical position in which the sewing machine is operative.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,614 issued to Argiro et al sets forth a TOY SIMULATED SEWING MACHINE having a sewing machine body supporting a rotating shaft and a crank handle at one end. A movable needle head is coupled to the rotating shaft and a rotating platform is supported beneath the moving needle head.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,849 issued to Zilg et al sets forth a TOY PUNCH MACHINE having a housing generally representing a conventional sewing machine and supporting a rotatable shaft and hand crank. A gear and lever mechanism operates in response to shaft rotation to reciprocate a vertically oriented punch member positioned in the sewing machine-like head of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,539 issued to Scharner, Jr. sets forth a SEWING MACHINE having a reciprocating needle and oscillating looper driven in a prefixed phase relationship from a single powered eccentric cam arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,861 issued to Samuels sets forth a SEWING MACHINE having an electric drive motor and cooperating gear mechanism for reciprocally operating a sewing needle. A solenoid is operative to raise and lower the needle foot assembly.
French Patent No. 1,170,923 issued to Andreis and French Patent No. 1,185,877 issued to Pallier set forth additional sewing machine designs.
While the foregoing described devices have enjoyed some measures of success in the marketplace, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved interesting and safe toy sewing machines.